ANTS and other Spring Things

[Diana]

Yaaaaaaay it's officially Spring now because I got up to get breakfast and there were ANTS all over my counter getting in to my honey. >:[

I have a love-hate relationship with spring. Spring is beeaaaauuutiful and rejuvenating! I love watching all of the plants and trees come to life. Our garden is the prettiest in spring when all of the lilies and flowers are blooming. And I always have this wanna do things feeling during spring.

On the down side ANTS. ANTS EVERYWHERE. And they always hit us before we're prepared. ;__; And then it's a whole month of Ant War trying to keep them out of the house.

And then the icky gross warmth. *Shudders* I want my winter cold back. t__t

What are things YOU love and hate about Spring?

 

[LunaValentine]

I'm with you on the ants. but I was getting them all through winter too. I like the warm days. Not like hot or anything....just warm with a nice breeze.

 

[MattyIce]

It's warm enough that I can do outside stuff!!!!

Except rain... Lots of rain...

 

[Laggy Lagiacrus]

I hate Spring. It comes with plants. And do you know what plants have?
Pollen.

 

[Falcon]

I love the fact that all our daylight comes back . . .
but at the same time it takes forever for me to adjust to daylight savings time so I spend the next few weeks with an odd sleep schedule.

 

[captchakiller]

Ants must be cast into the furthest ring of hell. They suck. All over my house and walls and the counter, in the cabinets. EVERYWHERE. My mom has an aneurysm every time ant season rolls around. But lucky for the most bipolar weather state, Nebraska, there was a light dusting of snow so the little buggers (no pun intended) won't bothering us for a while.

But yeah, spring, I dabble in photography and spring is the best time to do shots for like flowers and stuff. And fall, fall is great too. Plus the 70-degree-all-the-time-shorts-and-tshirt weather is the best. Minius the torrents of rain. And the tornadoes.

 

[Minibit]

It's not Spring here til May

Love: WINTER IS OVER!!
HATE: it takes up too much of summer and everything smells like mud and dog poop

 

[Fluffy]

I'm loathing Spring right now. My allergies are so bad that the triple medications I have don't work. There's tree sperm EVERYWHERE. I feel sooo hooorrribllleee. Every time I blink, my vision is clouded by mucous. o__< And, and the throat pain...

Uh, but the rain and warm temperatures are nice. I have more energy to clean the apartment, and my walks to the campus are quite relaxing! I'll enjoy that until Spring turns to Summer, which will melt me into a puddle of my own blood and flesh. :D Woo.

 

[Peter Feels]

I am a rock in the tide of nature. Seasons crash against me and are destroyed.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Don't like pollen, don't like that some days are still cold. >:C

But when it's warm and sunny and there are flowers and birds and bugs, it's awesome. I still like summer better, but it's awesome.




Concerning ants: most household ants are sugar ants (colloquialism, you might know them by another name like Pharaoh ants) which are too small to carry away most edible poisons. You'll want to get liquid poison (slow-acting) and mix it with jelly, honey, or syrup, then leave that out for them. You can also make a barrier of diatomaceous powder and block off every hole/crack they use for entry.

 

[MattyIce]

I've never heard of using liquid poison. You people are so fancy lol

 

[LunaValentine]

Don't like pollen, don't like that some days are still cold. >:C

But when it's warm and sunny and there are flowers and birds and bugs, it's awesome. I still like summer better, but it's awesome.




Concerning ants: most household ants are sugar ants (colloquialism, you might know them by another name like Pharaoh ants) which are too small to carry away most edible poisons. You'll want to get liquid poison (slow-acting) and mix it with jelly, honey, or syrup, then leave that out for them. You can also make a barrier of diatomaceous powder and block off every hole/crack they use for entry.

Thank you! that gives me a plan for a spot where I was gettin ants! Now to find Diatomaceous powder!

 

[Kylulu]

Spring? What is this spring? Here in Alberta, we have 3 seasons. Mild Winter, Holy-Balls-It's-Cold Winter, and three months of either "TOO FREAKIN HOT! WE'RE IN DROUGHT!" or "HOLY FUCK WHY SO MUCH RAIN?!" before moving back to Mild Winter.

 

[Lady Sabine]

A lot of poisons come in liquid form. ^^ The stuff in spray bottles is a liquid, you just have to unscrew the cap instead of squirting the nozzle.

And diatomaceous earth can be a bit difficult to find, but it's totally worth it. Instead of using chemicals, like poison, it's a mechanical insecticide- like hundreds of tiny razorblades, it just shreds any insect that walks through it. Ruptures the exoskeleton and harms the joints. But completely safe to humans! In fact, it's often added to baked goods. ^^

 

[MattyIce]

A lot of poisons come in liquid form. ^^ The stuff in spray bottles is a liquid, you just have to unscrew the cap instead of squirting the nozzle.

And diatomaceous earth can be a bit difficult to find, but it's totally worth it. Instead of using chemicals, like poison, it's a mechanical insecticide- like hundreds of tiny razorblades, it just shreds any insect that walks through it. Ruptures the exoskeleton and harms the joints. But completely safe to humans! In fact, it's often added to baked goods. ^^

Teach me your ways of insect killing oh wise one.

 

[Lady Sabine]

Teach me your ways of insect killing oh wise one.

Haha, I don't want to get too far off topic, but it's not really difficult. ^^

The most important part is to have the right point of view. Insects aren't evil little bastards looking to ruin your day, they're just stupid little creatures looking to make a living. They aren't going to hurt you on purpose (except yellowjackets and fire ants, screw those guys) and they're only stealing your food because everybody's gotta eat. I'm pretty much cool with bugs in my house- I let the spiders stay because we have holes in the screens and a fly problem, I put the beetles and wasps outside. Really, it's only ants and cockroaches that I feel the need to exterminate.
After that, I like to use non-chemical methods or organic methods of dealing with pests. It tends to be a lot simpler and low-risk to humans, which is important in your home and around your food!

 

[MattyIce]

Haha, I don't want to get too far off topic, but it's not really difficult. ^^

The most important part is to have the right point of view. Insects aren't evil little bastards looking to ruin your day, they're just stupid little creatures looking to make a living. They aren't going to hurt you on purpose (except yellowjackets and fire ants, screw those guys) and they're only stealing your food because everybody's gotta eat. I'm pretty much cool with bugs in my house- I let the spiders stay because we have holes in the screens and a fly problem, I put the beetles and wasps outside. Really, it's only ants and cockroaches that I feel the need to exterminate.
After that, I like to use non-chemical methods or organic methods of dealing with pests. It tends to be a lot simpler and low-risk to humans, which is important in your home and around your food!

Indeed. I've never been attacked by a yellow jacket lol. In other parts of spring... I get to drive 2-70 :D

 

[Di'Angelo]

I guess I got it lucky, I don't have regular allergies to pollen and stuff. I do have a severe allergy to bee and wasp stings so when my mother plants her garden with fresh flowers I can't go out into the backyard and enjoy it. I do love the weather, jeans and t shirt weather is my favorite. I hate tornadoes and the rain. The rain in Spring always smells like the lawn is covered in dead worms.

 

[IceChateau777]

In Belleville, IL...
I have this stuffy nose all the time. Maybe it's that time if year when pollen flies about. Or maybe when it plummets to 28°F!
I love the flowers though! Glad I got the roof fixed!

 

[LunaValentine]

Oh I just remembered a good way to repell ants. They don't like vinegar. so mix it with some water and wash the areas you see them at. worked for my cupboards. I now keep my vinegar where I saw them in my kitchen. Turns out filling the crack they were coming in at really helped to keep them out. XD